For decades CTC distributed ‘pothole report cards’ to members and forwarded the returns to the relevant council officials. That process was eased with the creation of the Fillthathole.org.uk website exactly 5 years ago. All you need do now is log the location of a road defect on the map, fill in a few details and CTC sends it on to the local authority responsible.

Since 2006 over 60,000 reports have been recorded - over 20,000 in the last year alone. An iPhone app has also proved very popular, giving people the chance to locate, photograph and log a pothole while out cycling.

CTC’s role in this area has caught the attention of local authorities, some of whom have enthusiastically welcomed the contribution. In 2011 CTC ran a competition between local authorities to establish which was the fastest at responding to reports and which local authorities were deemed the best at fixing hazards by the sites’ users. Cheshire West and Chester Council scooped the main prize for speed of response.